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November and December are expensive months. Ideally we would save for the extra cost all through the year, but even then some extra cushioning wouldn’t hurt! Here are a few ideas to earn a little extra cash for the holidays.
1. Double your dinner and sell the extra part to friends to save them from the drive-thru. Next time you bake up a nice pan of hot enchiladas, put a picture out on Facebook when it is about to go in the oven. “$10 for pickup and $15 for delivery (within a few miles)” … or whatever your price is right. If you were on my Facebook news feed and I read that message as my girls were finishing up in their dance class, I would definitely swing by to get that homemade dinner! During this past soccer season, I said to my husband while we were pulling through Chick-fil-a or Taco Bell: “I wish one of my friends who made a homemade dinner tonight would let us pull through their drive-thru now.” I imagine I’m not the only one.
2. Help a friend clean and prepare their home for guests. Cleaning for company can be a monster. Put out a feeler that you would like to clean toilets and fluff pillows when your friends have family coming into town. To make it easy on your friends, put out a set rate right away. “I will clean 2 bathrooms, vacuum downstairs, and change the sheets on the bed for $25.” (Those are a few of the tasks I would find most helpful – you could offer whatever you felt comfortable.)
3. Host a babysitting afternoon at your house on a Saturday. You will get more bang for your buck time-wise hosting lots of kids at once. Plan some fun Christmas-y activities, a Christmas movie, and some play time. Your kids will love it and it will be so helpful to the other parents. I really enjoy shopping WITH my husband for our kids Christmas presents, but it is so hard to get away and do that together!
4. Offer your assistant services. Have any friends that have bitten off more than they can chew? Maybe you could make their lives easier and make a few bucks at the same time. Remember to state your prices up front and offer up your services to make the run to the post office for them, grocery shop, wrap presents, put toys together, run errands, or anything you think might help.
These are just a few ideas I put together. I’m considering chaperoning my older girls running a babysitting afternoon so that they can earn their gift-giving money this year. First I’ll ask them what activities they’d suggest …
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!
From my home to yours,
Mary
Those are really great outside the box ideas! Thanks!!
You’re welcome! Is live to hear if something works for you!
“Is live” … well, I probably meant “I’d love”
Get the eBay app and sell junk from your closet. The app lets you take pics frim your phone. Purses, even used kids’ shoes sell! I made $600 in the last month after cleaning out two closets.
Cool. Good to know and good job! 🙂
How do you get things organized for shipping? That’s my hang-up. I can list things all day long, but the packing and shipping takes so much time.
I save all boxes from the mail, even from diaper wipes, Costco bulk boxes. I pack in boxes after taking pics. I list clothes in “lots” by size (2T gap/old navy lot) and sell 10-20 pieces at once. I put free shipping and factor that into starting price. Surprising what people pay for used kid shoes!
I have offered my services, but would mever think tp ask for money! I’ve been selling myself short!
Helping your friends just to help is a great way to serve your friends, but sometimes when money is really tight around the holidays, you can be creative. 🙂
This is awesome!!!